


time stops (when dreams come true before you, when fantasy is real)

by mechup



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Other, Telepathic Bond, no one read this thanks, they're too cute for their own good, this is entirely just sickeningly soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:40:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28603092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mechup/pseuds/mechup
Summary: They stumble into the TARDIS, his hands by her waist as he leans back against the doors.“We areneverdoing that again,” she says, but her words don’t have any heat to them because she’s clearly struggling to keep the smile off her face. He can’t help himself as he leans down to kiss her, his own smile forming as he presses his lips to hers.
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor/River Song
Comments: 12
Kudos: 35





	time stops (when dreams come true before you, when fantasy is real)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sonictrowel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonictrowel/gifts).



> title from the song Time Stops from Big Fish

They stumble into the TARDIS, his hands by her waist as he leans back against the doors. 

“We are _never_ doing that again,” she says, but her words don’t have any heat to them because she’s clearly struggling to keep the smile off her face. He can’t help himself as he leans down to kiss her, his own smile forming as he presses his lips to hers. 

He pulls away for a moment to ask, “How was I supposed to know they were going to try to kill us?” 

“Maybe if y—” she starts, cut off as he leans back in, not willing to be apart for too long. She indulges him for a few seconds, then pulls away again. “Maybe if you actually _thought_ before you did anything, we wouldn’t have gotten into this situation in the first place.”

“Doctor Song!” he says in mock surprise. “ _You’re_ telling me to think first? _You?”_

“Oh, shut up.” She playfully rolls her eyes, moving her hand to the back of his neck and tugging him back down to claim his lips with her own. She thoroughly kisses him until he’s left clutching at her shoulders, until the only thing left in the universe is _her_. 

This version of him never quite understood the appeal of kissing; he had assumed he’d gotten it all out of his system with his last body, but then River came along and turned everything upside down. He would kiss forever, until the end of time, until there was nothing left in all the universe except for her and him. 

Or if that isn’t realistic, at least until his respiratory bypass kicks in. 

She seems to be able to sense what he’s thinking — or perhaps she just needs air too — and puts space between them, just enough for them to be able to catch their breaths. He rests his forehead against hers, then moves back. 

“I’m sorry for ruining our date,” he says, sounding a lot less confident than he’d been for the entire night. He’s been getting the hang of romance as a part of his life, but it’s still very new to him. He desperately wants to impress her, but because he’s _him_ he keeps messing up. Her expression softens and she offers a smile, feeling her hearts stutter in her chest at the overwhelming adoration for him that washes over her. 

“Sweetie, you didn’t ruin anything,” she says, reaching down to take his hand in hers. “Promise. Do you really think I’d be here if I _didn’t_ also want the adventure?”

That seems to be enough to ease his worries and his smile returns. “Well. Good, then.”

“And...” she begins, glancing at the doorway to the corridor that leads away from the console room. “The night doesn’t have to be over yet...”

“Oh!” His face flushes a pleasant shade of pink as he realizes what she means. “Oh, well, I. I—”

“We don’t have to,” she interrupts when she realizes he’s not going to stop stammering. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“I do want to!” he answers, perhaps a little too eagerly than he would’ve liked. But she doesn’t seem to mind, so he starts to pull her in the direction of the corridor. “I have something I want to show you.”

He refuses to answer her questions of where he’s taking her until they stop in front of a closed door. He grins, snaps his finger, and the door opens. She doesn’t have time to roll her eyes again at him being dramatic because she looks inside and her breath catches in her throat at the sight. 

She tentatively takes a step inside, and it feels as though she’s been transported to another world. There are stars above but the sky isn’t dark, instead full of bright blues and purples and greens. 

“Oh...” she trails off, speechless. 

“What do you think?” he asks, closing the door and immediately going to her side. 

“It’s... it’s gorgeous,” she says, turning to him. “I’ve never seen this room before.”

“Wanted it to be a surprise,” he replies with a shrug. “Told her not to show it to you before I did.”

River laughs, utterly overcome. “Good thing time is her specialty then, otherwise it would’ve been rather difficult considering... well, _us_.”

He laughs too, but turns serious very quickly. “You do know I wouldn’t have it any other way, don’t you? Even with all the directions our timelines are going and everything that comes as a consequence. I wouldn’t have _you_ any other way, I lo—...”

He abruptly stops and she moves in, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. “You don’t have to—”

“I love you.” He leans in to kiss her before she can respond, carefully lowering both of them to the ground. It’s a wonder he gets them down smoothly without anyone getting hurt but he manages, and he whispers proudly against her lips, “I love you, River Song.”

“I love you too,” she says, and though he’d already known, his hearts skip several beats at hearing it out loud. He lifts a hand to cup her cheek, biting back a smile when she leans into his touch. 

The light around them hits perfectly and frames her just right, causing her curls to practically glow. She looks angelic, and it takes his breath away. 

“What must it be like,” he murmurs, looking at her like he can’t quite believe it, “to be so beautiful?”

“Doctor,” she breathes, her eyes filling with tears of emotion. He feels his own eyes well up but he doesn’t try to stop them, focusing on gently pushing her back so she’s lying down. 

He moves over her, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead, then to her nose, then to each of her cheeks, to her ear, her jaw, her neck, anywhere and everywhere he can reach. She clutches him tightly, before pushing him back slightly so she can get started on unbuttoning his shirt. She gets her task done quickly, sliding his jacket, suspenders, and the shirt off his shoulders so they land next to them on the ground. 

“I mean it,” he says, reaching around her to unzip her dress. He slowly pulls it downwards, kissing her bare skin as it gets exposed. He pauses to look her in the eyes. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” 

His hand sneaks down, and whatever she was about to say dies on her tongue as she gasps, the sudden pleasure enveloping her entirely. She arches up, chasing the sensation from a pair of fingers that should definitely _not_ be so talented. She lets him continue for a bit until she takes hold of his arm, pulling it away until he gets the message. 

He reaches down to undo his trousers, but after a moment she decides he’s taking too long so she pushes his hands away to do it herself. He reaches out to her with his mind on instinct, she accepts as soon as she feels him by her own, and then they are connected in every sense of the word. 

He takes her hand in his, dropping his head to her shoulder to muffle the noise building up in his throat. She wraps one leg around him, meeting his rhythm halfway. Everything is enhanced with their joint minds, and neither of them can distinguish between who’s feeling what anymore. Everything blends together and suddenly, the stars in the sky aren’t the only stars they see.

**Author's Note:**

> yes that was an evermore reference
> 
> also i was extremely emotional writing this whole fic & i was lowkey about to cry @ the love declaration but then i accidentally typed “I love you, River Dong” & it completely ruined the mood for me DKSKKSJDJ


End file.
